Protecting Passengers

In their latest tests of 7 small SUVs, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated how well the vehicles protected passengers in the front seats. The BMW X1 and Mitsubishi Outlander topped the list. 16 small SUVs have gone through this passenger-side small overlap front test since it was introduced in 2017. During these evaluations, the vehicle travels 40 mph toward a barrier with 25-percent of the front end overlapping the barrier. Researchers follow the same guidelines as they do when conducting the test on the driver’s side. The tests are designed to show what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or with a stationary object like a tree or utility pole. Click here for a look at the full report.